


from ashes bloom

by CottonKatana



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Gen, following the maze runner cinematic universe lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-20
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-11-26 03:05:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18175016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CottonKatana/pseuds/CottonKatana
Summary: Doesn't it feel strange to know about nothing except the inside of these walls? That she believed that her whole life was tied to this place? Just how crazy would it be if one Greenie came along and challenged everything she knew?





	from ashes bloom

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! I actually posted this some time ago, but after much rereading, I didn't like it too much lol. I rewrote it to be a little more solid this time, hopefully!

The billow of the cool air is the first thing Rose feels on her skin when she stirs. The sun hadn’t shown up yet but the dawning light was bright enough behind her closed eyelids. There’s the sound of chirping in the distance, and soon enough the telltale crow of the roosters. Just another morning in the Glade. 

Rose sits up, rubbing at her eyes and yawning. Her head still feels fuzzy from sleep as she kicks off her blanket, swinging her legs off her cot to meet the floor with her bare feet. Just off the corner of her eye, Joan is already dressed up and adjusting her boots’ laces. “Morning Rosie,” The older girl greets her. “Mind doing my hair?” She tugs at her dark brown locks, and Rose bounds over, grabbing the brush from the bedside table and begins to brush her hair.  

Joan always let her choose what to do, though it had to be appropriate for running. It was always a simple ponytail before she’d arrived. She hadn’t actually thought about styling it in a different way until Rose had suggested it. Over time, it developed into a therapeutic morning routine for both of them. While it had given her a chance to practice her dexterity and come up with new hairstyles, it also became a bonding time for the girls.   

“I’m thinking...” Rose mumbles as she parts the dark locks into two. Taking one section she begins to braid it, lacing in new locks as she continued the path all the way up to the middle. “Hold.” Joan hums as she holds the pleat in place as Rose gives the other side the same treatment. When she’d finished, she grabbed the piece of leather string off the table and tied the braids together in one ponytail, the ends brushed loose. “Done.”  

“Looks great,” Joan grins, turning her head around to admire her fellow Glader girl’s work in the mirror. The latter beams at the compliment. “Thanks, Rosie.”  She grabs the rest of her Runner’s equipment before heading out of their quarters, and Rose watches from the window as she jogs across the Glade to meet up with Minho and Ben. The three take the time to warm up and stretch, and as soon as the Doors open, they take off inside.  

The girl looks in the mirror, and even though time had passed since then, she could never forget the first time she had seen her reflection since arriving at the Glade.  

She had ginger red hair, chopped short in uneven ends that suggested that it was done in a hasty manner. Frighteningly pale skin. Hollow green eyes with dark under circles.  _Kinda feels like looking at a stranger, doesn’t it?_  Joan had joked, hoping to lighten the mood, and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.  _It’s alright. We’ve all been there._   

Rose blinks, and today’s reflection stares back at her.  

Her hair was a bit longer now, just brushing past her shoulders. Joan had helped her fix and even out the odd locks as they grew. Her skin had returned to a healthy peach complexion, and with a splash of freckles across her face as well. Her eyes were much brighter now, the same green now with a burning curiosity.  _Still a stranger in a strange Glade._  

After she washes and freshens up, she walks out of the hut and strolls along the field. The sun’s just about peeking over the walls now, beams of light streaming across the Glade. She passes by the Medjack hut, and Clint tells her that she could wander around for now, since there weren’t much patients in the morning anyway.  

Her brothers are already up at work, building a statue of sorts with pieces of woods and sticks and a goat skull. It was for the bonfire later-- the new Greenie was coming today, after all. 

 

It had been a while since her arrival. Almost two years, in fact. It felt strange, that she basically knew nothing except the inside of these walls. Her whole life, or at least what she could only remember, was tied to the Glade.  

 

When she’d first arrived in the Box, she’d been so scared out of her mind that she refused to talk. She knew next to nothing, not even her own name. Who she was, where she came from, where she was going. But one thing stuck in her mind-- That she had to get out. 

Her Box Day had been one of the most memorable out of almost every Glader’s, because she had literally fought tooth and nail upon getting hauled up from the Box. She had been so afraid she was practically shaking trying desperately to hide in a corner, and the Gladers had made fun of her then. “You sure that’s not livestock? That’s a lamb!” “Nah, this Greenie’s too scrawny. Ain’t that a rabbit?” “If it’s got enough meat for dinner, that’s up to the Slicers to decide, haha!” She panicked. They were going to eat her, she just knew it! 

So she had struggled against them, biting and scratching at any limb or hand within her sight, and she had managed to break free of their hold and sprint across the Glade, if only for a few seconds, until she was chased down by one of the Gladers. She screamed and cried and eventually tired herself out, but not before leaving more shanks unscathed.  

She eventually ended up in the Pit. Funny, as if she hadn’t been in enough cages all day. She’d been quiet since then, and when the leader of the Glade and the second-in-command had visited her to unlock the door, she looked warily at them. “You’re not going to eat me, are you?” 

The boys looked at each other with confused expressions. They then reassured her that no one was going to eat her or hurt her in anyway. Alby and Newt, they introduced themselves. It had taken some time for her to warm up to them, and to promise she wouldn’t bite at them, before she let them approach her to help her out. 

As they toured her around the Glade and explained the jobs, they asked her questions. Do you remember your name? Can you remember anything about yourself? Where you came from? Her mind drew blanks at all of their questions, shaking her head every time. But her name was... 

“Rose,” She blurted out. It took all three by surprise, and Alby and Newt had laughed. At least that was one out of the way.  

She’d met Joan later, just after she had asked where were the other girls. All she had seen in the Glade were boys, surely there must have been some like her? And just like the older girl had arrived from the Maze with the other Runners when they’d chanced upon her, and she had been undoubtedly happy at her arrival. 

“Heard you put up a fight when you came up the Box,” Joan nudged her shoulder. “No Glader left unscathed, is that true?” The Greenie shuffled her feet nervously. It wasn’t a reply, but it did confirm her statement. She had laughed heartily, surprising her. “That’s one hell of an introduction! A girl really making her mark here in the Glade—that's a tough one to top,”  

She found out that she got thrown in the Pit because of that, and she laughed even harder. “Well, at least they’ve got a reason to be afraid of you! You’re definitely no little lamb." 

Later that night, they held her honorary bonfire. Alby raised a glass to her, and every Glader followed suit. “To Rose! The Greenie as sharp as her teeth!” Laughs and cheers erupted while there were some distasteful groans. She had the decency to look embarrassed, at least.  

  

Rose chuckles to herself at the memory. That was a lot for her first day in the Glade. In getting lost in her reverie, she eventually ends up in at the gardening area. She grabs a watering can from the side and fills with up with water from the hose. She wanders around, watering the soil of the vegetable patches as she let her mind wander again. 

  

When she’d gone around her first few days being oriented in the Glader occupations, she had barely talked and was quite timid. At least she didn’t bite anymore, they would joke.  

Being a Runner was out of the question, of course. And they had to be chosen too, not just accepted after running a good mile. That and she was petite and got fatigued quite quickly. Joan patted her head in comfort, reassuring her that everybody had their own set of unique skills, and she just had to find what suited her own the best.  

Definitely not cut out for Slicer work. They joked that she was a like a lamb or a rabbit when she’d first arrived in the Box, and that she sympathized with the livestock. The demonstration on the chicken had already made her so queasy she shot a hand up to her own neck, as if she felt the blade slice through her throat. She shook her head and gave back the knife as they laughed and sent her on her way.  

Too delicate to be a Builder. Not that it was an insult, but they’d actually been afraid that her limbs would snap under all the lumber. Even if it was one plank of wood. Her hands were so tiny they were terrified even when she’d held a hammer and successfully hammered one nail on the wood. No problems thus far, but the Builders had been so stressed just by watching her they’d unintentionally slowed down their productivity... and she was promptly moved to another occupation.  

Not... that good of a Cook. Not only did she burn the eggs and meat on her first day, but ate them as if it were nothing. Compared to other Gladers who had gotten sick and were immediately sent to the Medjack Hut. Frypan, bless him, was patient with her and kept her around for a few days enough to help her make something decent. He’d almost cried with joy when he tasted her meal. It wasn’t the best, but at least nobody got sent to the Medjacks that day. 

With the Track-Hoes, at least she was fairly adept in gardening, although a little rough around the edges. Newt was there as well, and he’d been one of the only few Gladers she felt comfortable around with since her arrival. He’d even given her an assignment, to plant a garden, with his assistance of course. He gave her the seeds to plant, but never told her what they were exactly. Over time she worked hard, checking the soil, watering it, tended to it until it had bloomed into roses. He then explained that it was actually a gift for her, and she smiled—the first time she probably had since she arrived at the Glade. 

At the Medjack Hut, Jeff had initially been reluctant to let her under his wing, knowing that she was the direct cause of the swarm of patients he had to treat when she had arrived in the Box, all of them victims of lacerations and bruises. And she was also the same reason for the stomachaches just the other day. 

But she was still a Greenie, and she needed to pass her trials. So the Medjack eventually let up, but not without warning her that he wasn’t going easy on her. And so she listened with rapt attention, soaking in everything like a sponge. She handled the equipment as if she’d been used to them. They felt almost as natural as breathing. Whether it was bandaging a limb, mixing herbs for a remedy, sewing up a wound, or anything else, it had come easy to her.   

 She had grown in confidence since then, especially when she would have to interact with her fellow Gladers. Starting with questions like, “How did you get hurt? What happened?” would engage a conversation, and the more they talked the more she would get to know them. They would eventually warm up to her presence despite initial doubts and ugly first impressions.  

Time passed, and new Greenies came along; Gally, Winston, Ben, Clint, Chuck, among countless others. Their family grew, the routine same as always, and soon enough, there they were today as a fully functioning Glade.  

 

She had just finished watering the roses when a voice yelled from the distance excitedly in between puffs of breath. “Hey, Rosie! Come on! The new Greenie’s coming!” 

It was Chuck. He’d arrived just last month as the newbie. He was just about her age, a sweet thing, chubby with rosy cheeks and had a pure hearted soul. It had taken him a while to adjust to the Glade, but with his sunny disposition, he had fit into the Glader’s lifestyle quicker than most. 

She sets the watering can down as she stretches her limbs. “I don’t think he’s gonna run off anytime soon, Chuck,” she grins as the boy bounces restlessly in place. “Relax, I’m coming.” 

She follows him to the gathering crowd around the Box and squeezes her way through her brothers, peering down at the Greenie. He looked to be a few years older than her, and had pale and dark hair. He was breathing hard, drenched in sweat, his eyes glassy. She made a mental note to pick up some water and peppermint for later.  

Gally, the Keeper of the Builders, jumps in the box, rattling the metal and thus startling the boy. “Day one, greenie. Rise and shine!” He grabs him and hauls him up, the other Gladers helping to pull him to the ground. He gets tossed on the grass as they taunted and teased him.  

“Looks like a slopper to me!” 

“I could use some help in the kitchen,” Frypan muses. 

Suddenly the greenie suddenly bolts away from the group, eliciting cheers and jeers from the Gladers. “Hey, we got a Runner!” Zart cries out. Chuck laughs and nudges her with his elbow, as if reminding her of her earlier words. She rolls her eyes as they all watch the Greenie continue to run for a good while...  until he stumbles and rolls along the grass like a rag doll. 

 

END 

**Author's Note:**

> In the events of TMR here, Rose here is just about 14 and Joan is 17/18. And to keep in the theme of the girls in the Maze being named after saints (i.e. Teresa from Mother Teresa) Rose is from St. Rose of Lima while Joan is from Joan of Arc.
> 
> I'm actually pacing this story by the events of the first movie, though I'm gonna go a little canon divergent bc... I can and it's fanfiction I'm gonna have my fun lmao!! but really I just felt weird thinking about Thomas fucking everything up in just the span of three days... not bc it was unrealistic but bc it was too relatable :( 
> 
> Thanks for reading! See you in the next chapter~


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